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STD numbers rising among internet singles

As singles look to mingle online ahead of Valentine’s Day, Capital Health is out with a warning to be careful .

“The numbers of cases of men catching syphilis and chlamydia has jumped this year,” says Capital Health’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Richard Gould. “We’ve found the outbreak has risen with men who have sex with other men when they’ve met someone online.”

Capital Health found 46 cases of those sexually transmitted diseases in the Halifax-area health district in 2012, compared to 35 in 2011. The health authority uses a follow-up questionnaire, that helped them make the link between online or mobile dating sites.

Syphilis and chlamydia can be treated with an antibiotic in one dose, but Gould adds both can get worse if not treated quickly.

Capital Health says it plans to start a social media awareness campaign in the Spring.

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